According to legend, the slave hymn "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd" served as both inspirational and instructional -- that by following the lines of the Gourd (the Big Dipper) to the North Star, runaway slaves could find their way to freedom.
A century and a half since the Emancipation Proclamation, the quest for freedom continues, evolving in time with the modes of oppression that engender it. While we nod to the past and the progress made toward liberty, we must acknowledge the ongoing struggles of the present -- and yet too the promise of enfranchising the future. So cast your voice and gaze to the song-lit skies, while marching ever onward and up toward that mythical north of our latent dreams.